


Dark and Stormy

by Rueitae



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Almost Drowning, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, F/M, Merfolk Lance, Near Death Experiences, Personality Swap, Pranks, Tumblr Prompt, figure skating AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-04-26 16:53:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14406396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rueitae/pseuds/Rueitae
Summary: My prompt fills from Tumblr, of the Plance variety.





	1. Power Up!

**Author's Note:**

> Superhero AU number one!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> High School or College, Enemies to Friends/Lovers with a microscope
> 
> Pidge has an ill advised plan and Lance is caught in the middle. Literally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: I’m not a huge fan of superhero AU for reasons I genuinely don’t know, because I do like superheroes.
> 
> Also Me: I’m turning this prompt into a superhero AU and leaving plot threads so I can continue if I want.

The moon would soon be in place. Pidge had to wait patiently, but she tapped her foot in annoyance. She crossed her arms and scowled. It had taken too long to get back from the lab and she had to re-calibrate the telescope. There were easier ways to gather energy, of course, but for the tiny chip under the microscope, only moonlight would do.

She needed this to work, otherwise all her efforts dodging the authorities and heroes would be pointless. 

Nothing would stop her from getting her father back.

The plan was simple, at least to her. She’d already done the difficult work. The telescope still looked and functioned like one fundamentally, but she’d added a discrete power converter. The energy taken from the sun’s light reflecting off the moon would then flow into the microscope, one that she had been modifying during her biology lab. Pidge had carefully placed the stolen chip so that it would receive maximum power once the moon had done its full pass across the telescope’s lens.

Then she’d have the map of Zarkon’s lair and could break her father out, saving him from a life of servitude to a super villain that no one had yet to defeat.

Pidge didn’t have a super power like her father, but she had her brain, and she was going to use it to do what no one else had.

A hollow banging sound interrupted her thoughts and she was reminded of the reason she’d been late getting back.

“Hey, um, Pidge? That is your real name, isn’t it?” Lance asked, a far cry from his normally confident self. “How long, exactly, are you going to keep me here? We have class in the morning.”

Her lab partner for the better part of the past school year stood with his hands wrapped around the thick bars of the cage he was locked in. Pidge hadn’t expected to have to deal with him of all people, but thankfully the the previous occupant of this hideout had plenty of containment devices for just this purpose. “You hate class. Why would you care?”

Lance continued to scan the scene before him with troubled eyes.“I’m not trying to steal the moon,” she continued dryly. 

Lance gulped. “Sure. Yeah. That was so Haggar’s stunt last year. It’s not like my biology lab partner was secretly a super villain this whole time,” he finished with a pointed glare.

“I’m not,” Pidge stressed, eyes narrowed. 

“Then how do you explain all this!” He gestured wildly, trying to point to the whole room at once. “You have a modified laser thing and you’re trying to get information off of a stolen microchip. Stolen from Captain Shiro, the best hero in the city. Sure smells like super villain to me. You’re even wearing a labcoat!”

Upon contemplation, Pidge did have to admit it did have a very over the top super villain aesthetic. 

“I don’t have to explain it to you,” Pidge fired back. “What were you doing in the lab this late anyway?”

“Actually being a student and getting homework done, which is my only identity - for now!” he amended quickly. “Unlike you, who seems to be using it as a cover.”

“You may have ice powers, but you’re too much of a goofball to actually use them properly,” Pidge told him. She double checked to positioning of the telescope. It was fine. She just had to be patient. Any moment now.

“Oh yeah? How do you know I don’t have them under control now, huh?” Lance said. He was clearly posturing, but Pidge let him continue anyway. “I’ll bet I could freeze this cage and punch my way out.”

“Because you froze the classroom last week and it took us all hours to get out,” Pidge responded boredly. She continued to not look in his direction as she triple checked the table the microscope sat one. She didn’t want to risk it moving. The legs were just as supportive as they’d been five minutes. Breath, Pidge.

Lance fumbled with his words, flustered at the reminder of the incident. “That just proves I’m strong enough to be a good hero one day! … just as soon as I get it under control,” he finished deflated. A dull clink alerted Pidge that he had rammed his weight against the bars yet again.

“I’m sure you will,” Pidge responded automatically. Her attention was too focused on triple checking everything that she couldn’t stop herself. Her eyes widened and whipped her gaze to Lance to see his reaction. 

Lance had fallen to a sitting position, arms wrapped around his knees and back up against the bars. His eyes were wide. “You - you think so? You? Think so?” he asked, unbelieving that she had just given him encouragement. 

Please don’t do it, Pidge thought. I can’t take it if you do it.

He did. His smile broke out into the widest, purest grin. His eyes practically sparkled. “I knew it! I knew we were friends!” he declared. His grin quickly turned into a frown. “Oh quiznak I’m friends with a super villain.”

Pidge growled, her mind more clear after he’d stopped smiling. That stupid, infectious smile. “I’m not a villain. You’ll be free to go once I have the map of Zarkon’s lair. I can’t let you tell anyone what I’m doing.”

Lance inhaled sharply. His face molded into one of genuine concern, he faced her on his knees, his knuckles pale from a tight grip around the bars. “Zarkon? You can’t, Pidge. He’ll take advantage of you even if you swear allegiance to him. I know you’re better than that,” he begged.

“I’m not going to join Zarkon, I’m not an idiot,” she told him. “I’m going to rescue my dad. Then the police can arrest me for stealing the chip, I don’t care. Dad’s safety comes first.” She hadn’t meant to tell him, but deep down she did not want Lance to think ill of her.

“Let me help,” Lance said immediately. His face held not a hint of a joke.

“No,” Pidge said sternly. She made a bid to ignore him again by quadruple checking her equipment. 

“You don’t have powers,” Lance continued, becoming more desperate as he spoke. “You aren’t going to survive. Please, let me help.”

“I’m not going in there blind. I have leads and I’ve been planning for this since before we even met. I got you through chemistry, I think I can plan my own rescue missions.” Pidge mentally bereted herself. She didn’t owe him any more explanation. Why was she still talking?

“This is a bad idea, Pidge. Please think about this.”

The moonlight hit the telescope. The effect was immediate. Both viewing objects lit up in brilliant cyan energy. The chip itself could even be seen from a distance as it glowed intermittently between cyan and magenta. 

Pidge latched onto her arms, an attempt to stop her hands from shaking. The power the small chip was giving off was far more than she ever imagined. She needed the information inside it though, and to get it, she needed to hook that chip up to her laptop. Ignoring every fiber of her body telling her to stay away, she took a few tentative steps towards it.

“Don’t get any closer!” Lance yelled. “I can feel it from here. Nothing good is going to come from using that thing!”

Pidge ignored him and forced herself closer. It was if the air had turned to mud such was the power emanating from the chip.

“The heroes locked it up for a reason! Pidge, please!”

For Dad, she thought. She grabbed the chip. 

For a moment all seemed back to normal. Then Pidge screamed and fell to her knees.

Countless images filled her head. Information about every hero, villain, police officer, mafia member, layouts of buildings of all shapes and sizes, combinations, passwords. It was overwhelming.

In horror she realized exactly why the chip had been under such lock and key. The information wasn’t meant to be transferred to any man made interface, it was designed to input directly into the human brain.

She dropped the chip on the floor, and the images stopped coming, but the information stayed with her. It was so much she couldn’t think straight. Dropping to her hands, she attempted to sort it, make sense of any of it. All that stood out was a voice that felt nearer than anything. 

“Pidge! Pidge, are you okay? Talk to me, please!”

She slowly turned her eyes towards Lance. He was renewing his efforts to break out, but continued to be unsuccessful, leading to more cries of concern to get her attention.

“Look at me, okay? Please look at me and tell me you’re okay?” His face was so full of compassion. She’d never been that kind to him. Helping him with homework, sure, but that was to keep her disguise. She had been sarcastic and rude and made every effort not to spend time with him. She had regretted it more and more as time passed, but it was far too late to drop her act. She could not get him involved. But here he was, involved anyway by happenstance.

It was helping her focus. Looking at his face, reminding herself of all the times with him, and of how much she’d secretly enjoyed it. The processing of the new information didn’t hurt as much. It was still there, but her brain had put it on a back processor instead of the desktop. 

“I’m fine,” she managed finally. Her breathing was still heavy, but she certainly felt she was recovering.

Lance sighed deeply and pressed his forehead to the bars in relief. “You scared me.”

“Why do you care?” Pidge asked, tears prickling in her eyes. It was her turn to get answers. “I have literally done nothing good for you.”

“You’re my friend,” Lance said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “I mean, I asked you first day of second semester if you wanted to keep being my lab partner and you said yes. I don’t do squat in that class. You do all the work. You can’t fake being a friend and do that kind of thing for a guy.”

“You’re an idiot,” Pidge wheezed. 

Lance turned his head to the side inquisitively. “But I’m right.” 

Pidge felt her face burn. “I did it because - “

She didn’t get the chance to finish her sentence. An explosion tore down an entire wall. Rubble flew in all directions and the room was quickly covered in smoke, sending both into a coughing fit. Pidge looked up in time to see a small flash of light and a silhouetted figure. Her eyes widened in terror. She knew who this was. Everyone knew who this was.

“Where is the chip?” Sendak demanded. 

The smoke dissipated and there was no hiding from Zarkon’s right hand. It took him but a moment to scan the room. His implant and natural eye both seemed to pierce her soul. He glanced down at the chip in front of her and Pidge knew he knew. 

“You powered the chip and used it on yourself?!” he raged. He lifted Pidge into the air with his prosthetic arm. “Do you know what you’ve done?”

Pidge squirmed, futility using her own arms to try and put some space between his mechanical fingers and her chest. She refused to answer.

“You absorbed the powers,” he growled and squeezed a bit too tight for Pidge’s comfort. “No matter. The Witch will be able to extract the information needed from you instead. Do not struggle, it is use - who did that?!” 

Sendak abruptly turned to face Lance, allowing Pidge to see the scene as well. He was panting, his hand outstretched and pointed towards them. The pale blue glow of his ice powers waned. “Let her go,” he said, “there’s plenty more where that came from.”

Sendak laughed. He confidently walked forward. Pidge continued to try to wriggle free, but each attempt earned her a painful claw pressing into her sides.

“A fledgling ice bird? And wrapped up nicely for Emperor Zarkon already.” He grinned wolfishly. “Under the Witch’s tutelage you will grow to serve well.”

Pidge renewed her efforts. Lance’s dream was to become a hero. She could find a way to rescue her father another day. If Sendak captured both of them her efforts would all be for naught and Lance would be corrupted by Haggar. 

It would be a nightmare scenario for both of them. 

With the strength of an army, Sendak ripped open the door to Lance’s prison and deposited Pidge in there with him. No longer needing a lock, he twisted the metal until it became impassable. 

“Haxus will be here shortly with transportation,” Sendak said with a triumphant grin. “You will be meeting your new master within the hour.”

The villain left the two be, picking up the now empty chip and inspecting the area. 

Pidge felt frozen. How had everything gone so wrong so quickly?

“Are you alright?” Lance asked, his voice still full of concern. He scooted towards her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

She pushed it off. “How can you still ask me that?” she snapped. “I’m the reason you’re in this situation!”

Lance bit his lip. “Okay, I admit the situation really sucks. It doesn’t change the fact that I’m worried about you. You’re doing this for your Dad, right? If my family was in danger, I’d probably do the same thing.”

“It doesn’t matter,” she said softly. “I might see him when I get to Zarkon’s headquarters, but I’m in no position to help him. The information on the chip is all in my head now. I know what the layout of the building is without ever having been there. It's impossible to escape without a good plan.”

“Well, then we’ll just have to escape now and rescue your dad when we do have a plan,” Lance said with a smile.

Pidge sent a mild glare in his direction. “You make it sound so easy,” she said.

“Well, you’re super smart anyway,” Lance continued. He kept his same assured tone. “And now that you’ve got all that new information, maybe some of that could help us get out of here.”

Pidge frowned. “It’s a lot of information, Lance. I’m not sure I could sort through it all.” She grabbed a clump of hair, feeling a headache coming on. “It hurts just to think about it.”

Lance frowned. “Try to focus on there bars,” he said, patting the metal nearest to him. 

She did. They were standard steel, not even reinforced with magic. Neither of them had the strength of bend it like Sendak had and Lance’s ice powers were too chaotic to even attempt to make a dent. 

Ice powers. There was something about those in the data she’d acquired. Elemental powers in general were among the most sought after super powers and had the most potential for continued improvement. There was technically no limit to them since they ran on strength of spirit. They were not uncommon, but mastering them was rare. 

What her new information provided her was the reason why Lance didn’t have full control over his powers. He’d been keeping his palms open, trying to blast his ice in a wide area. Elements were much stronger when focused.

Pidge’s eyes flew open. She turned to face Lance, desperate to speak as if she’d forget. “You’re not doing it right. You have to focus your powers into a smaller area.”

Lance raised an eyebrow. “Okay, how do I do that? I thought the hands were small enough.”

Pidge felt her eyebrow twitch. Flashes of Lance flirting with every girl in their class passed through her mind. Blandly, she held both her hands up and mimicked his famous finger gun technique. “I’ve got a coupon just for you. I’m free tonight,” she deadpanned.

He blinked. “Are...are you asking me out on a date? With my pick up lines?”

“Argh! I’m trying to tell you to use your fingers,” she said in frustration. “Your fingernails are so perfectly manicured you could probably slice through flesh at least with that thin of an ice blade.”

Lance smiled proudly. “You noticed?! Thanks, Pidge. I knew spending time on there babies would pay off. Once we’re out of here, I’ll take you out for milkshakes okay?”

“Just try your powers to get us out of here and - “ she paused, annoyance turning to confusion. “I was just being sarcastic about the date.” Her cheeks were warm. By the look in Lance’s eyes he’d caught on to her blush as well. 

“You’re not saying no are you?” he asked with a grin.

Pidge couldn’t respond, but the sound of an approaching helicopter told them they didn’t have time to flirt.

Lance took a deep breath. “Here goes nothing.” He molded his right hand into the correct position and grabbed the wrist with the other hand. He aimed and fired. 

The result was beyond what Pidge had hoped for. The ice beam cut through the steel. It wasn’t as well as flame could do, but it cut enough open to allow them both to sneak out.

As Pidge helped to tug Lance free after his jacket had gotten stuck, they once again earned the attention of Sendak. 

“I will not be leaving with the data!” He snarled, running towards them.

Lance focused his beam once again. A barrage of ice pellets pounded Sendak in the face, stopping him in his tracks. 

“Run for it Pidge! He’s after you. Go get help! I’ll hold him off.”

“I’m not letting him kill you! Come on, this way.” She grabbed his wrist. Caught off guard, Lance allowed himself to be led away. 

A blast from the ceiling brought concrete down to the floor in front of them, blocking their only escape. Turning, Sendak approached. 

“By all mean squirm all you’d like,” he told them. He smiled, but it was not a kind one. Pidge’s heart rate skyrocketed now that the adrenaline of escape left her. She squeezed Lance’s hand to make sure he was still next to her, a reassurance that she desperately needed at the moment. “That just gives me the liscence to corral you as painfully as possible.”

Lance huffed, clearly exhausted as he tried to summon up more ice. It only came out as shards, tried as he might. “It’s getting a little hot in here,” he remarked.

Pidge gulped and stepped forward, putting herself between Sendak and Lance. “I’ll go quietly, promise you’ll leave Lance alone.”

“I’ll be taking the both of you with me. Even if the Witch has no use for the boy, he seems to motivate you.”

Pidge felt Lance grab her from behind and pull her close as Sendak’s giant prosthetic reached for the both of them. In one last effort, he created a shield of ice around them. It wasn’t of even thickness and it wasn’t elegant looking, but it would buy them another few seconds.

The room then erupted in flame. 

Water splashed over them as Sendak howled in pain. A slender figure rushed in from the rubble of Sendak’s earlier hole in the wall and punched him across the room. A second figure entered in from behind.

“Aww man,” Lance complained, clearly distraught. “Saved by Keith. I’m never going to live this down.”

Pidge recognized the second figure as Allura, one of the most powerful heroes in the city. Sendak had followed the chip, and Allura and Keith had followed Sendak. It seemed she would have to come clean about stealing the chip earlier than she’d anticipated. Despite the dread in her stomach over that particular conversation, she did have one thing to look forward to.

“I’m taking you up on milkshakes,” she told Lance. “I’ll buy. Sorry for kidnapping you.”

Mercifully it was Lance’s turn to blush, pleasing Pidge that he did have genuine feelings about this date. He turned his head away from her and rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah, well, turned out okay in the end.”

Pidge reached up and kissed his cheek. “Early payment,” she told him when he turned back to her with a very red face. She was positive hers was an even brighter shade of red. 

“A milkshake and a movie and we’ll call it good,” Lance managed to squeak out. He coughed, turning more serious. “And then I’m going to help you get your dad back. We’ve got friends. Let's use them. I know Shiro and Allura would jump at the change to take down Zarkon, and with your brain, maybe we have a better chance than ever.”

For the first time that she could really remember, she offered him a genuine smile. “Thanks Lance. I appreciate it more than you know. I’d definitely be Sendak’s prisoner if not for you.”

“Hey, it’s what friends are for. What partners are for,” he corrected with a smile. 

Friend. Partner. Those were terms Pidge liked very much. She could work with that.


	2. Plance on Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a universe where everyone does ice skating. Pidge does it for science. (And if Lance makes her a cute costume that’s okay too)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fulfills a prompt for a crossover and a cute meeting. You’ll hardly notice the crossover, but hopefully a treat for those who know it.

Pidge tugged on the spandex near her chest, examining the emerald green sequence in the full body mirror. Her mouth moved from side to side and her nose scrunched up as she scrutinized every detail of her new outfit. 

She turned to view herself from the side. The bodice itself was amazingly comfortable, something she rarely felt with even her jeans and sweatshirt these days. It didn’t have near as much sparkle as professional skaters, but Pidge was still pleased to have beading in the shape of leaves. A short asymmetrical skirt of darker green was sewed tightly around the waist. Pidge turned so that the shorter end of the skirt faced the mirror. She took a moment to adjust her ponytail, also angled on the same side. 

She adjusted her sleeves last. Beads flowed down her arms like vines and per the design intent. Solid forest green cloth made a sort of cufflinks for her wrists, a single golden bead a little larger than the rest sat facing outwards.

Pidge turned to face the mirror fully. She braced her hands on her hips and nodded. The outfit had her approval.

She unlocked the door behind her and exited the dressing room. 

Lance lifted his head as she approached. He uncrossed his legs and sat up from the chair in the waiting area. He smiled brightly as he took her in. “You look beautiful, if I do say so myself,” he preened. 

“It is pretty cute,” Pidge admitted. A side grin of her own in place. She twirled around once, enjoying the feeling of the skirt. “It’s comfortable and not too flashy. Although you really didn’t have to add so many beads.”

“I wanted to,” Lance insisted. He stood and strode over to her, looking over the outfit itself with an expert eye. “Something doesn’t look right, one sec.” He unhooked his leather bracelet and stretched it out. He knelt down on one kneed and used the measuring tool to double check his work. He frowned. “The skirt is a little too long for what you wanted. I can trim it if you want,” he told Pidge as he looked up at her.

Pidge gulped. She probably shouldn’t have blushed, but seeing him down on one knee as he was gave her an out of body experience. They’d not been dating that long, but they’d been friends in grade school. She could see it in his eyes, that sparkle every time he’d see her enter a room, like he had been waiting his whole life for this moment. They’d talked about marriage intermittently, but she knew this wasn’t it.

Lance was a romantic. It was Pidge’s only certainty that when he did get around to a proposal, it would be one for Hollywood. Today was not that day. Whatever their future held it was going to be after Pidge finished her masters. 

Which brought them to where they were now. She was two weeks out. Her paper was finished, but she needed practice for the demonstration that would go with her defense. It wasn’t anything groundbreaking or new, but it would prove she comprehensively knew what she was talking about.

“How much longer is it?” Pidge asked.

“A half inch,” Lance told her as he stood up. “Sorry, I know you were really specific with the measurements.”

“That little won’t make a difference, the extra weight is well within the margin of error. Or, at least it shouldn’t,” she corrected. “Let me get out on the ice and test it.”

“Let me get mine too,” Lance said. “I’ll join you. We haven’t skated together in like, forever.”

Pidge raised an eyebrow and gave him an exasperated grin. “We were at the park last week.”

“Still feels like forever,” he said. He took the opportunity to steal a quick kiss on her cheek. 

“You’re such a flirt,” she chastised, not at all mean spirited.

“Only for you, Pidge. Only for you.”

~~~~~

It didn’t matter how many times she stepped onto the ice. Each time she first picked up speed and soared across the rink was freeing. Pidge allowed herself to glide, testing for any bumps in the surface. Not finding any, she landed herself a single toe loop to further warm herself up. 

Weaving back and forth, she skated back towards the entry and propped herself up against the boards. Lance had just finished lacing up and hopped onto the ice with her. 

“It took you long enough,” Pidge teased, until she looked down and her eyes widened. “Why are you wearing hockey skates?”

Lance skated around her and leaned over the boards. He made a point to look completely displeased. “Left them at home I guess. I now owe Keith a favor so I could use his skates.”

Pidge laughed despite it all. “Is that really all that terrible to owe Keith a favor?”

“Yes,” Lance said dryly. “Junior Worlds is coming up soon. He’s probably going to make me take care of his crazy cat again.” He rested his chin in the palm of his hand, having every intent to sulk this through.

Pidge couldn’t help but laugh. “Red likes you just fine. I think you two just have different expectations of each other.” She leaned in, wrapping him in a hug. “You’re out here now, might as well enjoy it.”

She felt Lance relax completely at her contact. His scowl turned quickly into a soft smile. “I wouldn’t miss a chance to skate with you while you’re all dressed up and gorgeous like this.”

Pidge blushed and found herself letting a chuckle loose. “You are the cheesiest person I know.” She took his hands with hers and led him out onto the ice. “Outfit felt pretty good in the warm up, but I want to make sure it works for the whole routine. Spot me?”

“Of course. Go for it,” he said, letting their hands separate and letting her take center stage. 

Pidge began to build up speed, not concerned that Lance was still on the ice with her. He knew her routine nearly as well as she did and he’d skate out of the way if need be. 

The idea was simple in thought. Nothing she was doing hadn’t been done before. She was going over the physics of figure skating; the conservation of momentum for spinning and moment of inertia for jumps. This was all based on her body though. All the science was her weight, her height, her speed, her routine. It would just go to prove that she could do the math and have the credentials to coach others. 

Ultimately what she wanted was to be able to do was design the equipment. There was always a way to make things better, and that was exactly what she was going to do. 

She and Lance made a good team that way. She would streamline and he would make it beautiful. 

Pidge turned to skate backwards, looking behind her to see where she was going. She was by no means a professional, but she was still good at this. Gliding at her preferred angle, she lifted herself into a double salchow, landing with ease.

She didn’t bother with the artistry as she skated down the long side of the rink. It had never been her thing, only having focused on it when she was much younger and much newer to the sport. 

Clapping interrupted her. She was used to a few dozen hands, but Lance’s were the only ones today so it was a bit jarring. 

“Smile!” Lance shouted at her. “Put a little flair to it! Show ‘em what you can do!”

Well, Pidge thought, he did make the costume.

She began to move her arms more liberally. An extra gesture here, and a motion there. Brining her hands in and out from her chest at various intervals had always seemed to work when she was younger.

“Happy?” she asked with a smirk as she passed him on her way to the next jump.

“Perfect!” he replied. The double toe loop landed just right. 

One more jump, a double axel. Well, two really, she’d follow it up with a single. The routine was as easy as breathing by this point. Nothing strenuous except knowing she’d be grilled after doing this for a panel of her professors. 

She took her time skating around the rink, not really wanting the speed to end.

Pidge nearly fell when she felt Lance skate up to her from behind. “Mind if I join?” he asked. Even concentrating on her movements, Pidge could tell he was in a mischievous mood.

“What are you up to?” she questioned suspiciously. 

“I got too caught up in watching you I couldn’t wait to participate. If I launch you, do you think you could still do the double?”

It had been high school the last time the two of them had done a jump in pairs. Pidge made sure her face showed all the concern she felt about it. “That was a long time ago. Maybe? I couldn’t guarantee a double, but a single I could probably still do.”

Lance lit up. “Good! That’s all! Let me know when you’re ready.”

Pidge rolled her eyes. She was happy to indulge him though. His hands felt right around her waist and even though it had been a long time, she trusted him completely not to let her fall.

“One loop around the rink. I’ll give the nod,” Pidge said. 

He kissed her temple. “Thanks, Pidge,” he said softly. 

“Thank me after I don’t fall,” she quipped. 

They traveled together as close as they could, falling easily and comfortably into the old habit. Pidge savored the time. Cuddling on the couch was one thing, but trusting one another this close with blades on their feet was a different story.

And she did trust him. With everything.

Reaching their full loop, Pidge turned to face Lance, letting him steer them around the corners. “Ready when you are,” she told him.

“Okay, here we go then,” Lance said. “One, two, three!” On the count he lifted Pidge into the air and she twisted her body to give the the two full rotations. Lance helped, twisting her body with his hands. 

Pidge got her rotations. She’d grown stronger since high school though, and had perfected her technique even more. Lance had gotten stronger too. Combined with the angular momentum, she had really enough time for a triple, something she was entirely unprepared for. With a yelp, she landed square on her bum.

Lance came to her side right away, his face bordering on panic. “Pidge are you alright? I’m so sorry.”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” she insisted. She took his offered hand to get up. “Just a sore butt,” she said as she rubbed it, wincing only slightly. “It’ll pass in a minute.”

Lance sighed in visible relief. “Good, I was worried a blade might have gotten your arm with the fall.”

Pidge smiled to disarm his worries. “No, I’m definitely fine. This actually helps add to my report. My body has changed since high school. I can’t do jumps the same way I did back then.”

“Good! Because you’ll need to be healthy to enjoy this.”

He shoved two small pieces of paper in Pidge’s face. She took them and she gaped at what was printed on them. “Is...is this what it really says it is?”

Lance nodded, smile getting bigger with pride. “If you’re reading them as tickets to this years Grand Prix, then yes, it is.” 

Pidge held the tickets to the biggest professional figure skating competition close to her chest. “Lance...this is amazing! You didn’t have to!” 

“I wanted to,” he insisted. “You’ve been working really hard and once you finish school you’re going to need a break. So we’re going to the Grand Prix for starters.”

Pidge engulfed him in the biggest hug she could muster. “Thanks Lance, this is the best. I can’t wait until we can go.” She let go after a moment and slid away, crossing her arms. “But first I need to present to the panel, so I have to practice - without interruption,” she said pointedly.

“Even if the interruptions are for very important matters?” Lance said, pushing himself forward and gracefully twirling around so that he could hug her from behind, kissing the top of her head.

“You’ve already given me your surprise, what else could you possibly have in store?”

Lance continued to hold in her in a one handed hug, while his other hand soon produced a small black box. “I know you’re not much for traditions, but I wanted to make sure I beat you to the punch.”

Pidge knew what was in the box, but she opened in anyway. “You sneak!” she angrily. “You can’t butter me up with those tickets and then give me this!”

Lance kissed her cheek. “Is that a yes?” he asked, laughter prevalent in his voice. 

“Of course it’s a yes,” she confirmed, a bit more exasperated. Pidge knew she should be more emotional for this moment, but Lance always had a way of subverting expectations. “You know I can’t wear the stupid thing yet, it’ll throw me off.”

He sighed dramatically. “Then I guess I’ll have to wear it until you’re ready for it. On my pinky finger if I have to.”

Perhaps it had been the long day, the exercise, or just the significance of the moment, because so many major things were happening in her life right now, but Pidge burst out laughing. She leaned up against Lance, who in turn starting to giggle and laugh himself. The both of them couldn’t stop, falling down to the ice in each other’s embrace.

The answer must be all of the above.


	3. Being Plance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coworkers, Gender-swap, and Toner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a good challenge for me, I really had to think it over. Gender-swaps are difficult to write for. I ended up doing more of a personality swap (i hope it isn’t too much of a cop out). Just a lot of humor to this one, nothing too serious. Thanks for waiting patiently! I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Its canon verse, so being coworkers is an established thing. (See also: partners in crime)

“So we’re going to do this then?” Pidge asked, making absolutely sure she had Lance’s complete cooperation. She kept her eyes locked on his, unwavering in her decision.

Lance matched her resolute stare. Their co-op of Killbot Phantasm was paused indefinitely and the two sat crossed legged in front of the other, controllers long since abandoned to the floor.

“One hundred percent sure, Pidge. I can do this,” he said. His hands rested purposefully on his legs, making sure he looked every part of serious.

“Are you sure? It isn’t going to be easy,” Pidge said in a measured tone. 

“We’ve been working on this for months. I know what to do.”

Pidge closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Okay,” she said as she resumed her determined stare. “Same rules we agreed upon?”

Lance nodded. “The whole thing. Beginning tomorrow morning at breakfast. You remember what to do?”

“Of course I do,” she said, rolling her eyes. “My part won’t be hard.”

Lance let his arms sag, his face offended. “Thanks, Pidge.”

Pidge grinned. “Yours won’t be bad either. Remember, you’ve trained for this.”

“Let’s put this to the test then! I can’t wait.”

~~~~~

“Hey, Coran?”

The elder Altean turned from his work on coolant pipes to answer the Black Paladin behind him. He offered the man a wide smile. “Number One, what can I do for you?”

Shiro raised a opaque blue tablet, white letters running across the screen. “I’m trying to find the non essential repair list. Hunk and I are going to go on a supply run while we’re still on Olkarion.”

“Ah!” Coran exclaimed, snapping his fingers. “The knick-knacks, as you call it?”

Shiro smiled in acknowledgement. “That’s right. I’m hoping we can find some new shower heads and personal effects. Might as well look for things we actually need as well.”

“Well, let me take a look then.” Coran took the tablet from Shiro and entered in some Altean letters into the search parameters. It came back with nothing.

Shiro scratched his head. “I know I’ve seen that list before.”

Coran’s brow and mustache twitched in unison. “Hm, that is a bit strange. I am certain they were labeled under minor repairs.”

“What about miscellaneous?” Shiro asked. His mouth curled up into a smile at the more pleasant and slightly amusing memory. “I know my miscellaneous folder at the Garrison would be full of random stuff that I wouldn’t remember putting in there. It was a surprise every time I’d open it.”

“It is worth a try,” Coran admitted. He entered the Altean equivalent and this time they did bring up a list, but it was not what they were looking for. 

Shiro sighed. “I’ll tell Hunk we’ll put his Earth/Space ingredient conversion masterlist in its own folder.”

“I still don’t know why you need any other foods than what we have here, but whatever reminds you of home. I can understand that,” Coran concessed. “Lets try something else,” he mused. “Ah, it must be by room then. Let me try the engine room.”

The search came up with every bit of equipment that the engine room housed, but even after searching for several minutes neither could find the list they needed.

“Where is that little quiznaker?” Coran said, steam nearly popping out of his ears in annoyance. 

“What are you two looking for?”

Shiro and Coran looked up to see Lance standing nearby, presumably having heard part of their conversation. 

“We’re looking for the non essential repair list. Hunk and I are going shopping,” Shiro explained plainly. He raised an eyebrow. “You look different today, Lance.”

Lance gave them both a big smile as he adjusted his glasses. The big, round glasses that looked like Pidge’s glasses and were currently on his face. Glasses that if they were ever on someone else, would have been Matt. Lance was wearing them.

Shiro was very, very confused. 

Before his leader could comment, Lance took the tablet from Coran. “Have you tried looking up the orange section? Everything is color coded.” With speed of one who knew what they were doing, Lance entered in a few criteria before smiling and handing the tablet back to Coran. “It's the third one down on the list.”

Coran blinked, obviously blanking for explanations as well. “Oh...yes. It seems so. Thank you, Lance.”

“No problem!” He tucked his hands into his jacket pockets and walked off.

The other two stood in uncomfortable silence until Lance turned the corner and out of earshot. 

“Do you… know what that was about?” Shiro asked.

“I haven’t a clue,” Coran said. “I had no idea Lance was learning Altean, let alone was familiar with the Castle Index.” The advisor brightened. “I’m going to have to get him to help out with things other than cleaning!”

Shiro furrowed his eyebrows in concern. “Don’t you think he was acting a little strange?”

“No more than usual I don’t think,” Coran said with a shrug, handing the tablet back to him. “Lance has quite the active imagination. I wouldn’t doubt he could pick up on Altean or the Index if he put his mind to it.”

“I guess,” Shiro responded. “I’ll take this back to Hunk. We’ll be out for a few varga. Let us know if anything comes up.”

~~~~~

“Do you mean that it is safe for Earthling consumption, but not Galra or Altean?” Lotor asked. He and Allura were in the kitchen, with the intention of finding something snack on during what would almost assuredly be a long and tiresome Coalition planning meeting. 

Allura snatched the milkshake from the Emperor’s hands with a most serious expression. “It won’t harm you, but you most certainly do not want to be drinking something so vile.”

Lotor allowed her to take the cup filled with the chilled milk with a worrisome expression. “It smells rather sweet.”

“It it harvested from the… organs of an Earth-animal,” Allura said slowly. Every word made her face twinge and wrinkle, disgust seeping over every syllable. 

The concept of taking food from an animal was not unheard of to Lotor, nor was it for Allura. However, the crudeness struck a chord. “The Paladins do this? Your Paladins? The ones who currently pilot the Lions of Voltron?” he asked, making absolutely sure he was getting this right.

“Not just them,” Allura continued. “Apparently all Earthlings do this and it is normal,” she concluded in a horrified whisper. 

Lotor considered the milkshake and stepped back. “I believe I’ve lost my appetite. Should we move on to the conference room? Perhaps we feel the need to eat later.”

“Agreed, I cannot bear to look at it any longer,” Allura said, putting the concoction back in the freezer. 

“Oh, hey, I’ll take it if you don’t want it, Allura.” Pidge stode in from the hallway. In addition to her regular sweater and shorts, she wore her green pajama robe. Her footsteps were quieted by the green lion slippers over her feet. Her hair was brushed, with a green hair clip on the side. She yawned. “I just finished my pampering routine and I am starving,” she emphasized. 

Neither royal spoke as Pidge walked over to take the cup from Allura, both watching with a type of morbid fascination. Allura tactfully turned to close the freezer door as Pidge took her first long slurp of milkshake. “Ahhh,” she said in relief, but soon frowned as she regarded the two leaders. “Oh, I’m sorry. Were you going to have some? I don’t think Lotor has tried any of this.”

“No!” Both exclaimed at once.

Lotor cleared his throat, presenting a much more dignified front. “I mean, I am fine. Please enjoy it for yourself.”

Pidge chuckled and winked. She held the milkshake in one hand and gave the ruler of the Galra Empire a finger gun with the other. “Gotcha. If you do want some more let me know and I can milk Kaltenecker for you. Right now it's about time to apply my skin toner, so I’ll catch you two later!”

When Pidge had gone, Lotor turned to Allura. “Have I missed something?”

Allura stood with her mouth gaping, unsure of what she had just witnessed. “She sounded like… Lance?” she guessed. The princess then twisted her face into a more serious expression. “After this meeting, we are going to get to the bottom of this.”

“You’ve been around them longer,” Lotor commented. “I defer to you, Princess.”

“If this conference hadn’t been planned I’d look for answers right now. The moment it is finished I’m going to find Lance and find out what is going on.”

~~~~

“It's easy peasy, Keith,” Lance said. His fingers typed away at a speed known only for the feverishly obsessed.

Keith stood over his shoulder, a mild concern slowly growing. Fresh off the ship from Blade of Marmora headquarters, he hadn’t yet had time to change. “Are you sure you don’t want to get Pidge or Hunk to do this? This isn’t exactly your area of expertise.”

Lance rolled his eyes and pushed the glasses up his nose. “Please. I could do this in my sleep.” He continued to type away at what certainly looked like legitimate lines of code.

“Why are you wearing Pidge’s glasses?” he asked.

Lance rolled his eyes and then adjusted said glasses. “They help me focus, Keith. Do you want this code for Kolivan or not?”

Keith frowned. While the Blade of Marmora intelligence was extensive, they still regularly used Pidge’s original ‘Galra-finder’, which was all that more effective when paired with Blade network. Since Lotor had assumed command of the Empire and factions had split off, Kolivan had been hoping for an update to work among the chaos. 

He also liked the color coding. Because of course he did.

“Fine, but if you mess it up I’m going to Hunk to fix it.” Keith suspected he’d have to. Either Pidge was in on this, or she would be busy assaulting Lance later for the theft of the glasses.

Lance tched, a side smirk growing on his face as his fingers flew across the screen. “The splintered Galra factions are all searching for ways to gain the upper hand. Oriande gave me an idea. If there are more things out there like it, that super weapon on Ranveig’s base one of them, then I just need to cross reference some Galra and Altean myths to the Galra Finder.”

Keith raised an eyebrow. “So… you added fairytales to the Galra Finder.”

Lance turned his body, arm resting on the back of the chair, smug grin fully in place. “I added a fairytale option to the Galra Finder.”

“...Right. Thanks Lance. That’s actually really cool. I’ll uh, take it back to Kolivan and see what he thinks.” He paused, looking a bit unsure of himself. “Do you know if Matt is in?”

“Not right now.” Lance told him. “I think he’s upgrading more rebel ships. Pidge said he’d come back for breakfast tomorrow.”

Keith continued to stand there, concern all across his face. “How about Shiro?”

“Out with Hunk shopping. They should be back soon.” Lance turned and closed the laptop - Pidge’s precious laptop - and stood. He handed Keith an Altean data drive. “I’ve added a subroutine so that the Altean tech will respond to the Galra computers at Blade Headquarters. That everything you need?” Lance raised an eyebrow, a concerned frown of his own perfectly in place. “You okay, Keith? Your mouth is kind of hanging open.”

“I’m fine,” Keith said quickly. He took the device and swallowed, bringing moisture back to his dry mouth. “I think I’ll stick around and say hi though.”

Lance shrugged. “Suit yourself. Glad to have you back on the Castle, Keith,” he said with a genuine smile. “We all really missed you.”

At this point, Keith’s eyes were wide in clear confusion. “That’s it? You’re not going to make fun of me?”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because that’s what you said - before - when I left the first time.”

Lance sighed. “You must be imagining things, Keith. I didn’t say that. I just said I was going to miss you.”

“No! Oh no! This is not going to happen again,” Keith said frantically. 

“I don’t remember it,” Lance said helplessly. “I’m going to go check on some other stuff I’ve got going on. I’ll see you at dinner!”

Before Keith could properly formulate a response, Lance was already around the corner and gone.

~~~~~

“And then he didn’t remember it! It wasn’t like he had a head injury this time! He has no excuse!” Keith complained desperately.

Allura gaped at Keith’s story. “I knew something was rotten! Its like...like Lance and Pidge have switched places!”

The two of them, accompanied by Coran, were gathered in the pod bay awaiting the return of Shiro and Hunk.

“It was astounding,” Coran added. “Lance navigated the Castle Index as if he’d been doing so for pheobs!”

“Pidge typically doesn’t bother too much with her appearance, certainly not to the extent that Lance does,” Allura added. “I swear she was wearing that cologne Lance is so fond of as well.” 

“Lance updated the Galra Finder,” Keith stressed. “There is no way he could have done that by himself.”

The group was interrupted by the return one of the pods. It landed in its assigned parking space. The shield dropped to reveal Shiro as the pilot and Hunk in shotgun.

Hunk blinked as he saw the greeting party. “Woah, I really hope nothing bad happened and you’re all just really excited about the cinnamon substitute I found.”

“Is everything alright?” Shiro asked as he jumped out of the pod. He searched all three with calculating and worried eyes. Not unreasonable, considering their job description.

“Perhaps, and perhaps not,” Allura told them. Her arms crossed to maintain a most serious image. “There is something wrong with Lance and Pidge.”

“Lance seems to have developed a knack for many of Pidge’s interests overnight,” Coran explained. 

“He hasn’t made fun of my hair once since I got back, Shiro,” Keith said helplessly.

“And Pidge drank a milkshake in front of Lotor,” Allura continued.

“Oh,” Hunk said. His face brightened. “Did Lotor try one? How’d he like it?”

“Princess!” Coran gasped. “I wouldn’t even wish that for Lotor if he was still our enemy!”

Hunk visibly deflated. “Still not quite at the acceptance phase of the milkshake debate I see,” he said dryly.

Shiro sighed. “Lance was acting strange when he talked to Coran and I earlier, but he didn’t seem unhealthy.”

“Perhaps other than his unusually un-kept appearance. His hair did seem more messy and slippery than normal,” Coran added.

“I think Allura’s right,” Keith said. “Its like Lance and Pidge have swapped personalities.” 

“Wait, like, Lance’s brain is in Pidge’s body and Pidge’s brain is in Lance’s body?” Hunk asked, his voiced steadily rising to a presumed panic. “You think like, an alien parasite got them? It happened to Coran, it could happen to any of us. I knew one of us would get a weird alien virus at some point!”

“I already took the liberty of scanning them both remotely,” Coran said. “Everything seems normal.”

“What do you think, Hunk?” Shiro asked. “You’ve known them the longest. Do you think they’d do this on purpose?”

“Oh,” Hunk said immediately. “Lance would in a heartbeat.” He narrowed his eyes. “I definitely think they’re totally doing this on purpose.”

“How do we get them back to normal, then?” Keith asked.

Allura grinned. “I think I know just the thing. Paladins, prepare for training.”

~~~~

Allura stood incredulous as everyone reported for the impromptu training session as requested. “Coran, I am not sure I believe what I am seeing.”

“If your perception filter is failing you, then mine is as well,” Coran lamented. 

Lotor stood next to them on the observation deck, his face not judgemental, but certainly curious and a bit befuddled. “I do not see the problem. None of you seem to mind your armor not matching the color of your Lion.”

“They’ve even switched bayards!” Allura exclaimed in annoyance, pointing at the offending parties.

Lance was standing at the ready in the green paladin armor with the green bayard formed into his default mid range rifle form. He still wore Pidge’s glasses and was speaking with Keith. Keith was still in his Blade of Marmora uniform and looking increasingly distressed, sending an occasional glance in Shiro’s direction. 

The Black Paladin didn’t seem to mind too much, as he was more focused on Pidge wearing the blue colored armor. She sent a grin his way and twirled her taser around a finger, clearly showing off. 

It wasn’t long before Hunk made his way up to the observation deck to report his findings. 

“Okay, so I think they’re definitely faking it and in on it together.” he said immediately. “Lance is going way out of his way to use programming terms in the right context and Pidge tried to flirt with me.” His shoulders slumped with his mouth. “We have to snap them out of it.”

“What do they hope to gain by doing this?” Lotor asked.

“A laugh,” Hunk answered. “I don’t know about Pidge, but Lance organized his flight school graduation prank. He spent more time planning that thing than his actual homework. I know he wants us to laugh about it later.” He smiled. “It is pretty funny to see how they view each other. They’re definitely having fun doing it.”

Indeed, down on the training floor the two were all smiles. Keith looked completely annoyed at this point and Shiro seemed to have come to a similar conclusion as Hunk, watching the scene with a fond smile, even allowing himself a snort or two. 

“So what do they want from us then?” Allura asked with concern. “We do not know when next Voltron will be needed. They cannot stay like this forever.”

Hunk shrugged. “They might just be doing it for the day.” He grinned mischievously. “Or we can call them out on it.”

“They haven’t exactly taken the hint that we know something is amiss,” Coran said with a frown.

Allura bowed her head in thought. Lotor looked on with interest. “You have an idea, Princess?”

“I believe I just might have the right level of ‘got you’ in mind,” she said with a sly grin. “They may be able to act in front of all of us, but there is one place that they cannot pretend.”

~~~~~

“Okay team, let’s give that nosedive test another go. It will be good to see how far we’ve come since day one,” Shiro ordered over the comms.

While Keith, Lotor, and Coran watched on from the Castle, the current Paladin lineup were in their Lions flying through the skies of Olkarion and climbing in altitude every tic. 

“Hey Allura, wanna race this one?” Pidge asked smugly.

As expected, Pidge and Lance had not even attempted to pilot the other’s Lion. They still had not given up their act though.

“I feel as if there needs to be a database with each possible color, Paladin, and Lion combination,” Lotor remarked from the bridge.

“Pidge, this isn’t a competition,” Allura chastised. “I can’t believe I’m having to remind you.”

“Approaching 50,000 feet,” Lance interrupted. 

“No cheating, Lance,” Coran said. “Time for your training helmets.”

The response was immediate as the helmets went dark. Lance had a very distinctive scream. “I am never going to get used to that,” he moaned. 

“Hang in there, Lance,” Pidge said. Her voice was very encouraging and calm. “You’ve done this before, a lot better than I did.”

“Yeah, okay,” he said slowly, calming more with each word. “Okay I’m good.”

Lotor raised an eyebrow and glanced over to Keith and Coran for an explanation. 

“Lance relies on his sight more than most of us,” Keith said with a small smile, watching the Lions still climbing in formation. “He’s our sharpshooter.”

“And I believe we’ve finally ousted their ruse,” Coran agreed. He smiled in contentment, glad to see his Paladins as they were meant to be. “Alright everyone, you know what to do now, nosedive time!”

~~~~

It took only as long as the door to Lance’s room shut behind them for the two of them to bust into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

Pidge rolled onto the bed, holding her side in pain. “The look on their faces! Did you see?”

Lance had slumped to his knees, arms and upper body splayed over his bed, tears rolling down his face. “Oh man, Keith was brilliant. I almost feel bad. I’ll have to make it up to him tomorrow.”

“Allura was the best,” Pidge said, sitting up against the wall and crossing her legs. “She was so sure she had caught us and I can’t believe you went and denied it!”

“Seeing everyone confused was great,” Lance agreed. “Too bad we couldn’t get Hunk. He knows me too well.”

“You were brilliant, Lance. I have to admit that was pretty smart of the others to have us get in the Lions.” Pidge leaned forward, a bright smile permanently glued to her face. “But when you told them you hadn’t been acting, and they were just imagining it? And pulled the meta data on the flight out unprompted? Their faces,” she emphasized, snorting. “You could absolutely make your own programs if you put your mind to it. Your suggestion for the Galra Finder was brilliant.”

“That was all on you, Pidge. If you hadn’t taken the time to teach me everything there was no way I could have pulled it off,” he said with soft smile. “I’m still not one hundred percent sure what I was saying the whole day. But you,” he added as he pointed in her direction, “apparently make a pretty good me.”

“Well, your skin care routine was actually pretty fun. I enjoyed the long shower and this hair clip is pretty cute,” she said, poking at the small green hair accessory. “I haven’t felt this refreshed in a long time.”

“We can totally do it more often if you want. Together?” Lance suggested. “You can talk about your technology all you want. I might be kind of able to understand you now without Hunk translating.”

Pidge smiled fondly. “Yeah, I think I’d like that.” 

Lance tore his gaze away from her and down on his blankets. “Hey, Pidge. Thanks for talking me through the exercise. I know I shouldn’t have freaked out like that.”

Pidge brought her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. “I was glad to. I hate to see you upset. It's not like you, and I prefer you just the way you are.”

Lance chuckled and turned to sit next to her on the bed, long legs stretched out. He leaned his shoulder into hers. “You like Lancey Lance?”

“Ha,” she snorted. “I like you unfiltered. You’re a good friend Lance. I had a lot of fun today.”

“My pleasure, Pidge.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, a content smile on his face. “Anytime you need a distraction, you know where to go. Next time we’ll get Hunk in on it too. Iverson told the three of us to bond, right?”

“Sounds perfect to me.” A pause. “What do you think about reprogramming the training gladiator?”


	4. Keeping Cool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First Pidge tries to keep a cool head. Then she tries to keep a cool body. 
> 
> Lance helps both times.
> 
> Featuring merfolk Lance and human Pidge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the Pidgance Positivity Discord prompt: mythical creature AU
> 
> (In which I check mer!Lance off my list of popular fandom tropes to do)

“Do you have any last words, child?”

Pidge shifted her bare feet backwards tentatively, and winced as she picked up what felt like a splinter along the rough plank of wood. Her body faced towards the galleon, and Captain Sendak cutting off her only way back to relative safety. She kept her head turned over her shoulder, careful to keep her balance on the piece of wood protruding from the side of the ship - nothing but open ocean below it.

Once out at far as she dared from the ship, she resumed her furious glare towards the captain. “You’ll never get away with this. The world is going to find out what Zarkon is doing and you won’t be able to hide as privateers forever.”

The Galra grinned evilly at her. “Bold fighting words with no bite. You’ll be fish food within the hour.” He turned to his crew. “Retract the plank!”

“Katie! No! Please stop this!” 

Her heart melted at the sight of her distressed father, held back by two of Sendak’s crew. This wasn’t fair to him, and she wished desperately her recklessness hadn’t got her into this situation. Not only was she going to pay the price, but her father was going to have to live with watching his only daughter drown. Even though it was her neck on the line, she felt more afraid for him.

The least she could do was put on a brave face. He would survive to remember this, and have even a chance of fighting back against Zarkon with his inventions. So she puffed up her chest and clenched her fists. “Don’t let them win, Dad! Do whatever you have to! I lo- AH!”

“KATIE!”

Caught off guard by the ground literally taken out from under her, Pidge only managed a half hearted gulp of air before her body sank beneath the waves.

It was quiet, a peace she couldn’t enjoy because already she wanted air desperately. 

Her shackled hands made swimming difficult, but her legs were free and it at least gave her a chance to hold off the inevitable. Swimming with just her legs proved much more difficult than anticipated though. Every second she craved oxygen more and more and in a moment of clarity she realized she wasn’t even sure if she was swimming towards the surface. 

Her muscles gave out on her. Consciousness slipped further away.

A mass plowed into her at breakneck speed and a tick later she gasped for air, oxygen filling her lungs once again. 

Salt water stung her eyes when she opened to see. She rubbed them with her hands, pushing back the bangs of her short hair.

A radiant smile, sparkling blue eyes, and same color scales greeted her. “Hi!” he merman said. “You okay? That was a close one.”

Her normally sharp mind was slow to catch up. She understood that this mythical creature had saved her, was keeping her above water, and was speaking to her in her own language. None of it registered enough to say ‘thank you’ or even ask how he existed outside fairy tales. 

The merman had his back to the galleon, and it allowed Pidge to see the battle that was brewing around it. The ship shook violently, but not as if it were rough seas. The rocking and swaying was deliberate. She saw fins, zooming through the water and ramming into the ship. Sendak and his crew shot cannons and fired rifles, but the assault continued at a relentless pace until the ship had a gaping hole in the side and began to take in water.

“D-dad!” she gasped. “My father is still on that ship!” she yelled desperately. Despite having just failed at swimming, she had a mind only for her father about to go down with the ship and did her best to wiggle away from her rescuer. She needed to save him, do something for him, anything.

The creature was having none of it and kept a firm hold on her. “Hey, hey, let’s not try swimming right now. Shiro’s gonna get your father. You guys will be safe from the Galra, promise.”

Pidge heard the words, but their meaning and implication other than her father being okay faded from comprehension as she watched the ship buckle and sink. Fins and scales of all different colors swirled around the impending wreckage. 

Overwhelmed, she passed out amid the chaos.

~~

Days later the situation was still overwhelming, but at least she was safe and so was her father. 

Pidge lay on her belly, body mostly in the water to keep herself cool, propped up by her forearms. The small crescent shaped atoll that had been their residence over the past few days came set with a bay of shallow water perfect for wading despite being in the middle of the ocean. With no natural trees or brush on the all sand island, this was their preferred way to keep cool here in the tropics.

Sam Holt had chosen to avoid the midday heat by resting in their small shelter made of tarp and seaweed, materials which had been provided by their hosts. Pidge was currently more interested in entertaining one of them as company.

“Let me get this straight,” Lance began. He lay on his belly beside her, arms resting on the tiny beach and long blue tail swishing inquisitively in the water. He held a circular device in the palm of his hand, wires sticking out on all sides. “This thing can convert quintessence into useable energy for human machines?”

“That’s right,” Pidge confirmed. She had just finished saying as much, albeit in more scientific detail. Her rescuer was infinitely curious, and she had enjoyed the last few days explaining to him and the other merfolk how humans were fighting the Galra on land. Their meeting with Princess Allura gave Pidge renewed hope that shared knowledge between the land and sea could be used to finally be rid of Zarkon and his fleet of pirates. “Careful though, the material is hard to come by and we only just got it dry,” she said, taking the device from him.

Lance gave it one last scrutinizing eye and flapped his tail lazily. The tiny waves it created lapped up to Pidge’s shoulder and it felt amazing in the hot sun. She must have expressed her pleasure because he took note. 

“If you take Allura up on her offer, you can live in the ocean with us you know,” he said, voice hopeful. “We can fight the Galra together on the same front. The conversion isn’t even painful, or at least that’s what Shiro says,” he reflected as an afterthought.

Pidge smiled sadly. “I can’t. I’ve got my family on land. Yours is in the ocean. Besides, now that we’re working together, it’s not like I’ll never see you again.”

Lance pouted, averting his eyes and looking a bit sheepish. “I thought you might say that.” His scaled ears perked up and he smiled. “What if your whole family came to live with us. You’d be a whole lot safer from the Galra and there’s plenty of room for your father’s machines.” His face faltered. “If we can make them waterproof anyway.”

Pidge flushed. She had to admit the idea of becoming a mermaid was intriguing. She’d grown up fascinated by the sea folk, a side effect of living in Port Garrison, but never fancied ever meeting one much less befriending one. Matt would tease her mercilessly about it when they got home; giving up a chance to be a mermaid when it was all she had talked about as a little girl. 

The idea also scared her. It was not a decision made lightly for a nice boy she had only known for a few days, even if he had saved her life. 

Lance coughed. “Or not. I mean, I get it. It’s a big change. I volunteered to run messages between our families after you get home, so we’ll see each other more often than we think. I’m … sorry I suggested it.” 

He was embarrassed.

Pidge took one of his webbed hands in hers and leaned her head to rest on his partly scaled shoulder. “I appreciate the offer, Lance, I do. But I can’t.”

He pressed his face gently into her hair, stopping just short of an affectionate kiss. “I understand. I wouldn’t ever want to leave the sea” he said quietly, subdued. “Allura meant it though. The offer is always open for all of you, if the Galra ever get too dangerous.”

“I know,” she said. “Thank you.”

The water rippled around them and Lance’s fin-ears twitched. He submerged himself for several minutes. Pidge found herself mesmerized - watching his gills take over breathing, and ears flop back and forth. 

“Message from Hunk,” he explained when he came back up. He smiled, but it looked very sad to Pidge. “He found a Garrison merchant ship, they’re even headed home. He said they’re happy to come pick up you two. Should be here sometime tomorrow.”

“Oh,” Pidge managed to say. “That was fast.” Their living conditions were less than ideal, even with the food and fresh water that were provided for them. Even so, she surprised herself at how upset she was that her peaceful time with Lance was coming to an end.

“I guess I’ll have to take you to the coral reef some other time,” he moped. “Or never, if this war with Zarkon keeps going on.”

“It's fine, Lance,” she attempted to comfort him. “It was just something to pass the time if we’d be here longer. I’m sure it's pretty, but I’ve had a great time talking with you.”

He smiled warmly, an action that even after such a short time made her heart beat a bit faster and brought a smile to her own face. “I just wanted to do something to return the favor. Shiro never talks about his life as a human, and you’ve taught me so much already.”

Pidge snorted. “You saved my life. If anything, it was me doing you a favor and I enjoyed every minute of it”

“That doesn’t count,” he said dryly, propping up his chin with a palm. “I want to show you the ocean so badly.”

“One day,” Pidge promised. “After we beat Zarkon and we’re all safe.” She paused. There was so much uncertainty with their mission, and no guarantee it would be resolved in their lifetimes. Even so, it was nice to have something for herself to fight for. “Are you staying for the sunset tonight?”

His smile returned, and his eyes twinkled with delight. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a complete AU, but this scratched my itch to finally do a mermaid thing. Not likely to continue this one myself, but if it grabs your interest let me know when you write it because I'd love to read it.
> 
> I hope you liked it.


	5. The Cake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is the last person to know its his birthday. He and Hunk have a good time. Pidge does not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt from [Engineer104](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Engineer104/pseuds/Engineer104).

This was training, Hunk convinced himself. Training in case he was ever needed to go on a stealth mission. Laughable perhaps. He’d be the first to speak to his strengths lying elsewhere. He was the man you wanted in case the stealth mission went south and needed a few Galra unconscious.

Still, if it meant getting the jump on his best friend for a cheap chuckle, Hunk could be motivated to do most things.

A savage smirk plastered on his face, he crept around the cryo pods. Lance hummed boredly as he wiped the cleaning solution off the inside of one of them. The Blue Paladin had no clue he was there. 

Hunk stepped out, appearing behind his friend. “Happy Birthday, Lance!” he shouted.

Lance screeched, jumping so high as to bump his head on the roof of the pod. Hunk grinned smugly, arms crossed comfortably as he leaned against the pod in wait for Lance to recover himself. 

“Dude!” Lance exclaimed. Hunk knew his anger was more bark than bite. “What the Cheese was that for?! You know I’m jumpy around these things!”

“I told you,” Hunk said in a laughing tone. “To wish you a happy birthday.”

Lance regarded him with scrutiny, eyebrows wiggling and eyes piercing to find any hidden meaning or joke behind Hunk’s words. “Its my…birthday?” he asked carefully. “Didn’t Pidge say time was like, impossible to keep track of out in space?”

“Difficult, not impossible,” Hunk corrected. “Pidge did the math. Happy Birthday. There’s a cake for you in the kitchen. Well, something that I think resembles a cake at least.”

A humorous smile quickly replaced Lance’s puzzled frown. His shoulders slumped, now much more relaxed. “Anything you make is gonna be better than what we tried to make you for your birthday.”

Hunk winced at the memory. He’d only known about his own day thanks phantom pains that seemed to find him on the day no matter where he was. Though warmed by his team’s attempt at a cake, it had sucked. So he’d made his own. 

He vowed the incident would not be repeated. Galra involvement and all. 

“Thanks, Hunk!” Lance said brightly, wrapping him in a hug. Hunk saved Lance the trouble and squeezed him tight. 

“Go,” Hunk said, dropping Lance back to his feet. “Eat space cake. I’ll finish up cleaning for you.”

Tears well in Lance’s eyes. “You’re the best friend a guy could ever ask for.” 

“Hurry up dude,” Hunk laughed. “Before the mice find it.”

Lance scampered off. Hunk frowned. 

Oh no. Horror morphed into his features as he realized his mistake. There was no way the mice hadn’t gotten to the cake by now. 

~~ Across the Castle ~~

Pidge licked the icing off her finger. It was good. 

She probably hadn’t needed to try it herself, judging by the sleeping form of Platt in the middle of what used to be a perfectly good rectangular cake. The mouse burped loudly. 

Glasses fell down the bridge of her nose. Lance would probably be mad for all of a minute before finding the entire scene hilarious. Still, all of her work estimating what date it was on Earth now seemed soured. 

She was not going to have time to make another one. She’d barely managed this one with Hunk’s talent and knowledge of the alien ingredients. 

Sneakers skidded in the hallway and Lance stood on the threshold to the kitchen. His smile reached from ear to ear. 

“Hey, Pidge! Hunk said there was a ca - “ His eyes found the mess. The frown was only in place for a moment before he burst into giggles. Pidge smiled in relief. She could at least tell him she had helped make it, even if she hadn’t been paying attention enough to protect it from the mice. 

“Oh man, Hunk can’t make anything without the mice finding it.”

Her face fell and her heart beat fast. “Yeah - I - I just got here. There’s still some left at least, right? Happy Birthday, by the way.”

“Thanks, Pidge.” Lance said still grinning. “This is great as is. I can’t tell you how many times something has gone wrong for a birthday in my family. If it's not the toddlers, its the weather. Stuff like that. I’m pretty sure I messed up one of my brothers’ cakes at one point,” he finished, sharing a private joke with himself. 

He scooped up a piece of disassembled cake and popped it into his mouth, voicing a delighted moan. “Hunk outdid himself. It tastes like actual chocolate.” He grabbed another chunk and held it out. “Try it, Pidge.”

She already had. And all five of the practice cakes. 

Pidge forced a smile. “I’m good. I need to take a nap soon. I don’t want to get sugar rush right now.”

Lance shrugged. “Suit yourself. I’m going to give my compliments to the chef. Catch you later!”

Pidge didn’t realize she was holding her breath until he left the room. The cake was sweet but the mood was foul.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [Tumblr](https://rueitae.tumblr.com/)


End file.
